Advertising
Advertisements Targeting Children It is widely known when a young child wants something, they may go to extremes to get it, whether it means reaching for the cookie jar on the highest shelf, or making a scene in Toys "R" Us to buy the latest and greatest new contraption. They are large consumers, and childhood consumerism continues to expand. So, how do companies attract children's positive attention towards their products? Like any other age group, most children would not watch advertisements just for kicks, so it is important for companies to integrate advertisements for their products in shows and magazines, etc. that children like to watch and read. For companies, this may not only consist of buying ads to be displayed on channels which children typically watch, but also incorporating popular characters from shows, movies, and books, etc. into products and advertisements. It only makes sense that a child would rather buy a toy that Mickey Mouse said was great than one some random voiceover raved about. Studies show that children are sensitive to the content of advertisements, and can remember very well what is described in them. Since advertising can be so influential to children’s view of the world, it can be quite dangerous. If children are exposed to positive advertisements for unhealthy or potentially dangerous products and they are not by an adult about the negative aspects of the product, they may be unaware of the consequences of using said products and be more apt to buy them when they are older, or throw a fit in a store or resaurant for their parents to buy it for them. One example of the dangers of advertisements' influence on children is fast food. "Televised food commercials played on children's television channels often advertise nonessential foods and frequently contain premiums and promotional characters;" this has been linked to an increase in childhood obesity. (Adachi-Mejia) The exposure of children to advertisements of food products has been proven "to alter eating choices and behaviors," and "associating food with animated characters enhances a child's perceived food taste and preference." (Adachi-Mejia) Not only do advertisements influence the unyielding purchasing power children have, but they influence the utility of products, as well. Some companies include a toy premium with their product; children have a hard time distinguishing the premium from the product. The Children's Advertising Review Unit (CARU) explains that "advertising that contains a premium message should focus the child's attention primarily on the product and make the premium message clearly secondary." (Adachi-Mejia) In the advertisement at the top of this page, the product (Happy Meals) are the main focus, but large hints are given about what the toy premium will be, as the Minions from the movies "Despicable Me" and "Despicable Me 2" are promoting the product. The Difference between Children's Advertisments and Adults' Advertisements: ''Information from a study from PLOS: "How Television Fast Food Markets Aimed at Children Compares with Adult Advertisements." When advertisements promoting fast food for children versus adults were compared, there were several differences between them. Logos were present in both sets of advertisements, but the percent of frames with logos in them in children's advertisements (23%) was 10% higher than in adults' advertisements. The prescence of mascots in advertisements differed by company; "Ronald McDonald only appeared in children's advertisements (23% of the time) whereas Burger King's "The King" appeared only in adult advertisements (40% of the time)." (Adachi-Mejia) Packaging was shown in 88% of children's advertisements and 23% of adult advertisements. A view of the outside of the restaurant was shown in 41% of children's advertisements and 12% of adult advertisements. (Adachi-Mejia) Branding of products must be made clear to children in advertisements, because they are aware of their wants, but may not always know where to go to fulfill them. Toy premiums were shown in 69% of children's advertisements and only 1% in adults'. (Adachi-Mejia) Toy premiums do not attract adults to buy the product featured. Cross-promotions such as movies appeared in 55% of children's advertisements, and only 14% of adults'. Food was shown in both sets of advertisements, but more frames containing food were shown in adult advertisements than in children's advertisements. However, 78% of children's advertisments contained healthy food (like in the above advertisement), versus 0% of adult advertisements. (Adachi-Mejia) Adults are aware that fast food is not the healthiest option. Children do not yet have this knowledge, and if fast food advertisements display that their product is healthy, they are more likely to be able to convince their parents to buy the meals--including toy premiums, of course--for them. As children age, they gain more knowledge from the viewings of advertisements and experience they have accumulated to identify products with specific companies, stores, restaurants, etc. As they age and develop, toy premiums become less appealing, and products may become more appealing from experience. Out of the two classes of advertisements in the study above, adults' advertisements would appeal to adolescents and pre-adolescents for these reasons. '''Advertisements Targeting Adolescents' Like most things, advertisements made to attract adolescents is very hit-or-miss. In this day and age, television viewings have decreased, and more attention is payed to the internet. Teens spend much more time on the internet now than in years past, with social media and sites which allow people to view television shows and movies without having to record them or watch them on TV at the specific time they are broadcast. The advertisements they view are mainly shown on websites such as YouTube, which plays advertisements before or in between allowing access to the information desired. At times, it takes a lot to raise interest in a teenager about a product shown on a pesky advertisement that is getting in the way of them watching the next scene of the movie they have selected on Netflix. For this reason, some companies will include content in their advertisements which may raise controversy and/or normally be censored from young children. Racy Ads Targeting Teens Are these ads really "keeping up with the times," or are they too racy for their target audience? In 2007, companies such as Clearasil, which previously had a "wholesome image," began relying on suggestive jokes to win the business of adolescents. ("Do Racy Ads Aimed at Teens Cross a Line?") Apparently, after releasing the commercial, "Clearasil said their customers saw the ads as intended--a humorous and unrealistic presentation of an awkward family event." ("Do Racy Ads Aimed at Teens Cross a Line?") Although the Clearasil ads may have been shocking, their comedic appeal was successful in grabbing the attention of viewers without being overly offensive. However, companies must be cautious of the line of being disrespectful. The ad shown in the link above for a small burger company which featured a teacher dancing on her desk in a suggestive way; the purpose of the advertisement was to attract customers to buy a burger with "two flat buns." Soon after the ad was released, "the Tennessee Educational Association demanded the ad be pulled." ("Do Racy Ads Aimed at Teens Cross a Line?") The Tennessee Educational Association viewed the ad as offensive towards teachers; the advertisement sexualized teachers. However, "Carl's Jr. said that commerical isn't meant to demean teachers, rather it's just a funny hamburger ad for their target audience." ("Do Racy Ads Aimed at Teens Cross a Line?") Although advertisements such as this one are supposed to have a comic effect, when advertisements target specific social groups, it is likely they will cross a blurred line into offense.